· Rice Here's an insider pro tip for buying rice, an instant pantry staple that can be used in a wide variety of meals. Choosing long-grain brown rice

· Pasta Similar to rice, you can make a ton of filling meals using pasta noodles. Think easy meals for the whole family like spaghetti and fettuccine alfredo

· Bean Never overlook beans when grocery shopping. Beans are an excellent source of protein.

· Frozen Fruits and Vegetable Ashley Schuering, blogger at Confessions of a Grocery Addict, said frozen fruits and vegetables are usually cheaper than their fresh counterparts.

· In-Season Fruits and Vegetable Check with your grocery store to see which in-season fruits and vegetables are for sale.

· Rolled Oat Skip prepackaged instant oatmeal and purchase rolled oats to make homemade oatmeal.

· Egg While this can sometimes be an expensive grocery item, usually in the case of free-range eggs, shop around at your local grocery stores for eggs.

· Canned Whole Tomatoe If fresh tomatoes are simply too expensive, go for canned whole tomatoes.

· Plain Greek Yogurt "I use yogurt for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Schuering said.

· Canned Fish By now, you might be wondering how you can find inexpensive meats for sale. A great way to get animal protein